This record includes the existing Museum buildings and plant remnants only. All gasworks non surviving plant and buildings, including retorts, gas holders etc. are recorded in various academic and historic documents, and have been excluded here. Separate from the Engine and boiler house is the Museum's existing Fitting shop, formerly a purifier house. Data and record of this building has also been excluded from this page.
PAGE INDEX: (scroll down for numbered items)
1. Existing buildings: 2. Earthquake June 2015:
1. Existing buildings: 2. Earthquake June 2015:
1. Existing Buildings, (and later plant) presented in date order
This site plan dated 1898 shows no existing museum buildings.
ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
This site plan dated 1902 shows the addition of the chimney, the boiler house, the first carburetted watergas plant, the purifier house and the watergas holder. The red line indicates the approximate extent of the 2014 Gasworks Museum. This record gives a clear indication of the buildings and equipment installed between 1899 and 1902.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: Extrapolating this data gives us a good indication of the age of the machines and boilers featured elsewhere on this site.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: Extrapolating this data gives us a good indication of the age of the machines and boilers featured elsewhere on this site.
The Museum chimney. From the record above, erected circa 1902, and still in use today as the Scotts boiler exhaust.
This pix, taken upstairs, looking East, in the original section of the circa 1902 boiler house shows the (bricked up) doorway into the circa 1902 first CWG (watergas) plant building. The general area right-of-pix was the CWG plant lunch room.
The exterior view. Center upper is the lunch room, with center, the old sink waste pipe still evident. The vacant area center upper, and butting onto the rear of the original center section of the boiler house was the position of the first CWG building. (See next pix) Lower right of pix is the rear section of the original center section of the engine house. Out of pix to the right is the engine house Western extension described later. The Green doors were a late Museum addition. Originally a sliding doorway gave access to the boiler house for coke delivery.
In this (1926) photo, the end gable of the CWG plant can be seen to the left of the engine room. The engine room Western extension has yet to be erected.
This site plan dated 1909 show the addition of the (center section) of the engine house and the boiler house extension (now the Anderson room) (It also indicates the removal of the early retort house, and the construction of the new horizontal retort from which no physical evidence remains) This record also gives a clear indication the existing center section of the museum engine house and the Anderson room were constructed between 1902 and this time. It is reasonable to conclude the Engine house (center section) and the boiler house extension (Anderson Room) were constructed around the 1907 retort redevelopment
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: Extrapolating this data gives us a good indication of the age of the machines and boilers featured elsewhere on this site.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: Extrapolating this data gives us a good indication of the age of the machines and boilers featured elsewhere on this site.
This pix of the Anderson room shows the exterior wall of the original boiler house (1902) now the southern interior wall of the Anderson room (1909) This picture taken in 2014 records the Museum has deliberately left the wall in "as used" condition. The decorative mouldings of the triangle and the ball are clearly visible in the pix, and repeated through out the remaining museum buildings.
Editors Note: A visitor explained to the author the decoration is an old representation of the story of life, with the ball (the egg) representing birth and the triangle representing death. Whether true or not, it is a good story, and worthy of repeating. The wall also indicates recycling was alive and well in the early 1900's with the windows from the bricked up recesses reused on the new external wall.
Editors Note: A visitor explained to the author the decoration is an old representation of the story of life, with the ball (the egg) representing birth and the triangle representing death. Whether true or not, it is a good story, and worthy of repeating. The wall also indicates recycling was alive and well in the early 1900's with the windows from the bricked up recesses reused on the new external wall.
This site plan dated 1924 indicates there has been only minor change to, or no additional (now Museum) buildings erected in the last 15 years. See following record:
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
1922 -1923 Duplication of ammonia plant with extensions to the boiler house to allow for the plant.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: Not clear on the plans, but this may refer to the existing "loft and dungeon", seen in the pix, center left. The loft was used for creosote manufacture in later years, while downstairs, used mainly for storage, the room originally had open North and South walls. Later the walls were bricked in.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: Not clear on the plans, but this may refer to the existing "loft and dungeon", seen in the pix, center left. The loft was used for creosote manufacture in later years, while downstairs, used mainly for storage, the room originally had open North and South walls. Later the walls were bricked in.
This site plan dated 1947 indicates from 1924 to 1947 both the East and West extensions to the boiler house were erected. Fortunately we have good records of the events and these, along with recent photos, are presented below:
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
1926 -1927 new compressor house erected.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: This is likely the Eastern extension to the boiler house and refers to the Museum's Donkin Engine room.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: This is likely the Eastern extension to the boiler house and refers to the Museum's Donkin Engine room.
1931 -1932 The CWG plant was sent to Napier after the earthquake. The second condenser and the new exhauster operational.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: It is most likely the Western extension to the boiler house was added at this time, and the exhauster reference is likely to be the Museum's No 3 machine.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: It is most likely the Western extension to the boiler house was added at this time, and the exhauster reference is likely to be the Museum's No 3 machine.
1932 -1933 The CWG plant returned from Napier.
Exterior view of the engine house Western extension.
Exterior view of the engine house Western extension.
1938 -1939 Tender accepted for replacement of small exhauster.
1939 – 1940 Exhauster installed and commissioned.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: However it is most likely the small exhauster was not replaced and an additional machine, now the museum's No 2 exhauster added to the Western extension.
1939 – 1940 Exhauster installed and commissioned.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: However it is most likely the small exhauster was not replaced and an additional machine, now the museum's No 2 exhauster added to the Western extension.
Gable ends of the Museum's engine house.
1.Left of picture: the the 1931-32 extension.
2. Center of Picture: the original 1907-09 engine house
3 Right of picture: the 1926-27 extension
1.Left of picture: the the 1931-32 extension.
2. Center of Picture: the original 1907-09 engine house
3 Right of picture: the 1926-27 extension
This site plan dated 1957 indicates the period 1947 -1957 saw significant change. See records below:
1949 -1950 15HP boiler replaced 52 year old boiler
Editors Note: There is no remaining evidence of this boiler and this doesn't fit with other records. A possible explanation could be it was one of the many waste heat boilers installed in the retort buildings.
1952 – 1953 New CWG plant commissioned.
Editors Note: This plant was a separate building erected outside the museum boundary and only included in this summary for later relevance. There is no remaining evidence of this building.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
1949 -1950 15HP boiler replaced 52 year old boiler
Editors Note: There is no remaining evidence of this boiler and this doesn't fit with other records. A possible explanation could be it was one of the many waste heat boilers installed in the retort buildings.
1952 – 1953 New CWG plant commissioned.
Editors Note: This plant was a separate building erected outside the museum boundary and only included in this summary for later relevance. There is no remaining evidence of this building.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
1950 -1951 Tender let for two 80 HP steam boilers.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: This refers to the Dunedin Engineering boiler, however there is no remaining evidence or viva voce of there ever being more than one DE boiler. This boiler was still in service during the early days of the museum - see Boilers page.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: This refers to the Dunedin Engineering boiler, however there is no remaining evidence or viva voce of there ever being more than one DE boiler. This boiler was still in service during the early days of the museum - see Boilers page.
This site plan dated 1963 indicates continued change and modernization
1964 - 1965
New Compressors installed including new compressor house.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: These are likely the electric driven Rootes compressors installed in the now toilet, workshop, lunch room, long room area. There is no remaining evidence of these machines. This area was previously the first CWG plant. Some remnants from the 1899 CWG plant remain and are recorded on this web site.
1964 - 1965
New Compressors installed including new compressor house.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: These are likely the electric driven Rootes compressors installed in the now toilet, workshop, lunch room, long room area. There is no remaining evidence of these machines. This area was previously the first CWG plant. Some remnants from the 1899 CWG plant remain and are recorded on this web site.
1962 -1963 Electrostatic detarrer and ammonia washer installed
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
1964 – 1965 New steam boiler installed.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: This is likely the Anderson oil fired boiler replacing the Babcock.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: This is likely the Anderson oil fired boiler replacing the Babcock.
1964 - 1965 New exhauster installed
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: This is likely the Reader, replacing one of the pair of small exhausters.
Ref: Plant history of Dunedin City Council gasworks Hillside road site 1863 – 1997,by Peter Robinson 2 July 1997.
Editors Note: This is likely the Reader, replacing one of the pair of small exhausters.
2. Earthquake - 1 June 2015
At 11.17 pm on 1 June 2015 a 4.7 magnitude earthquake struck Otago, just 7 km deep and 30 km west of the Museum. It was felt in Dunedin as a strong to severe thumping (not shaking) event, accompanied by significant noise. An informal inspection by the Tuesday operations group the next morning identified no obvious damage to the museum buildings. The volunteers took special notice of the existing crack in the chimney, and were relieved to find the damage appeared not to have escalated at this time.